In our series examining the defensive gun batteries of several iconic World War II bombers, we turn next to the often-unsung B-24 Liberator.
While the B-17 Flying Fortress of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, pulverizing German industrial targets, is iconic in the European war, and the B-29 Superfortress earned its own place in history in the Pacific, the B-24 seems to fall between the cracks. That is despite the Liberator's superior speed, longer range, and heavier bomb load capacity, compared to the B-17.
Further, the B-24 was the most prolific bomber ever produced, with more than 18,000 delivered – compared to 12,000 B-17s and only 4,000 B-29s. This left the big B-24 as a globe trotter, serving in every theater from North Africa to Europe, as well as India and China to the Pacific Islands.
While the XB-24 prototype, which flew in 1939, only had a handful of .30-06 light machine guns – similar to the old B-18 Bolo – later models during the war, such as the B-24D, B-24H, and B-25J, carried 10 .50-caliber BMGs. These were arranged as two guns in a large chin turret, two in a retractable Sperry ball turret protecting the aircraft's belly, two in the tail gunner's position, two up top in a Bendix dorsal turret, and one flexible waist mount on each side of the fuselage. With weight at a premium, the bomber would carry anywhere from 3,000 to 11,000 total rounds of .50-cal ammunition for its guns, depending on the mission.
As with the B-17, the B-24's dedicated gunners had been minted in a six-week Flexible Gunnery school, beginning their training with shotguns and kites, then stepping up the difficulty from there.
Like the B-17, the B-24 was "breezy," and open to the environment, rather than using a pressurized cabin as on the high-flying B-29. This meant the gunners, along with the rest of the crew, had to wear thick leather flying suits accompanied by built-in electric heaters to combat the -30°F temperatures found at altitude. Add some flak vests, oxygen masks, and helmets, and you get the idea.
While the dedicated nose, belly, and tail gunners had their guns as their principal duties, the B-24's flight engineer doubled as the top turret gunner, while the radio operator and the plane's armorer moonlighted to staff the guns in the bomber's waist. Other crew members were cross-trained in case gunners went down with wounds. For instance, the navigator and bombardier were both usually qualified nose turret gunners.
In all, B-24 gunners claimed over 4,000 enemy aircraft shot down during the war.
We would like to thank the Pima Air & Space Museum outside of Tucson, Arizona, home to the circa-1944 B-24J shown in the above video. If you are ever in the area, please carve out some time to visit some of the aircraft on display and find out more about the brave aviators who flew them.
Video by Ben Philippi.
